Air Cav: air cavalry; helicopter-borne infantry; supported by helicopter
gunships

Airmobile: helicopter-borne infantry

AK-47: Soviet-manufactured Kalashnikov semi-automatic and fully
automatic combat assault rifle, fires a 7.62-mm at 600 rounds per minute; the
basic weapon of the NVA It has a distinctive popping sound.

AK-50: newer version of the AK-47. Some have a permanently mounted
"illegal" triangular bayonet which leaves a sucking wound that will not close.

AO: area of operations

APC: armored personnel carrier. A track vehicle used to transport Army troops or
supplies, usually armed with a .50-caliber machine gun.

Arc Light: code name for B-52 bombers strikes along the Cambodian-Vietnamese
border. These operations shook earth for ten miles away from the target area.

Arvin: soldier in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam

ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam; the South Vietnamese Regular Army

A-team: basic ten man team of the U.S. Special Forces. The A-teams often led
irregular military units which were not responsible to the Vietnamese military command

B-52: U.S. Air Force high-altitude bomber

bac-si: Vietnamese for doctor; also used to refer to medic in the U.S. Army

band-aid: radio call sign for a medic

bandoliers: ammo belts for rifles and machine guns

base camp: a resupply base for field units and a location for headquarters of
brigade or division size units, artillery batteries and air fields. Also known as the rear
area

battery: an artillery unit equivalent to a company. Six105mm or 155mm howitzers
or two 8-inch or 175mm self-propelled howitzers

beehive round: an explosive artillery shell which delivered thousands of small
projectiles, "like nails with fins," instead of shrapnel.

bird: helicopters or any aircraft

bird dog: forward air controller, usually in a small aircraft

BK amputee: below-the-knee amputation of the leg

blood trail: a trail of blood left by a fleeing man who has been wounded

body bag: plastic bag used to transport dead bodies from the field

body count: the number of enemy killed, wounded, or captured during an
operation.

boo-coo: Vietnamese slang for many or much

boom-boom: Vietnamese slang for sex

boonies: infantry term for the field; jungles or swampy areas

bouncing Betty: antipersonnel mine with two charges: the first propels the
explosive charge upward, and the other is set to explode at about waist level

Bronze Star: U.S. military decoration awarded for valor or meritorious service.

bush: infantry term for the field

C-4: plastic, putty textured explosive carried by infantry soldiers. It burns
when lit and would boil water in seconds instead on minutes, used to heat C-rations in the
field and to blow up bunkers

C-7: small cargo airplane; the Caribou

C-123: cargo airplane; larger version of the Caribou

C-130: large propeller-driven Air Force planes that carry people and cargo; the
Hercules

C-141: large cargo airplane; the Starlifter

CA: combat assault. The term is used to describe dropping troopers into an LZ

CH-54: largest of the American helicopters, strictly for cargo. Also called
Flying Crane or Skycrane.

cache: hidden supplies

capping: shooting at, capped: shot

CAR-15: carbine- M-16 rifle with a telescopic butt and short barrel.

Caribou: small transport plane for moving men and material

Cav: Cavalry; the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Charlie: Viet Cong or NVA

cherry: slang for a solder who has never been under fire.

Chicom: Chinese communist

Chieu Hoi: Vietnamese "open arms" to give up

Chinook: CH-47 cargo helicopter

chop chop: slang for food

chopper: helicopter

Chuck: the Viet Cong or NVA

CIB: Combat Infantry Badge - Army award for men assigned to the infantry for
being under enemy fire in a combat zone, worn on both fatigues and dress uniforms.

CIDG: civilian irregular defense groups

Civilian Irregular Defense Group: American financed, irregular military units
led by members of Special Forces A-teams. Members of these units were Vietnamese
nationals, but were usually members of ethnic minorities in the country

clacker: a small hand-held firing device for a claymore mine

claymore: an antipersonnel mine when detonated, propelled small steel
projectiles in a 60-degree fan shaped pattern to a maximum distance of 100 meters

CMB: Combat Medical Badge. Awarded to medics who served with the
Infantry while under direct enemy fire.

CMH: Congressional Medal of Honor. The highest U.S. military decoration awarded
for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty

C-rations: combat rations. Canned meals for use in the field. Each usually
consisted of a can of some basic course, a can of fruit, a packet of some type of dessert,
a packet of powdered coca, sugar, powder cream, coffee, a small pack of cigarettes, two pieces of chewing gum, and
toilet paper. (Tabasco's C-rations
cookbook)

CS: a riot-control gas which burns the eyes and mucus membrane.

DEROS: date of expected return from overseas. The day all soldiers in Vietnam
were waiting for.

Distinguished Service Cross - The Nation's second highest medal for valor

DMZ: demilitarized zone. The dividing line between North and South Vietnam
established in 1954 at the Geneva Convention.

doc: medic or corpsman

D-ring: a D-shaped metal snap link used to hold gear together, used in repelling
from chopers.

DRO: dining room orderly

dust-off: medical evacuation by helicopter

eagle flights: large air assault of helicopters

Early-Outs: a drop or reduction in time in service. A soldier with 150 days or
less remaining on his active duty commitment when he DEROSed from Vietnam also ETSed from
the army under the Early Out program.

Eleven Bravo: the MOS of an infantryman

EM: enlisted man

EOD: explosive ordinance disposal. A team that disarms explosive devices.

E-tool: entrenching tool. Folding shovel carried by infantrymen.

ETS: date of departure for overseas duty station; estimated time of separation
from military service.

expectants: casualties who are expected to die

fatigues: standard combat uniform, green in color

Field Surgical Kit: carried by medics for small surgery and suturing.

fire base: temporary artillery encampment used for fire support of forward
ground operations

flare: illumination projectile; hand-fired or shot from artillery, mortars, or
air

FNG: F--king New Guy

forward observer. A person attached to a field unit to coordinate the placement
of direct or indirect fire from ground, air, and naval forces.

foo gas: a mixture of explosives and napalm, usually set in a fifty-gallon drum

frag: fragmentation grenade

fragging: the assassination of an officer or N.C.O. by his own troops, usually
be a grenade

Freedom Bird: the plane that took soldiers from Vietnam back to the World

free fire zone: free to fire upon any forces you may come upon Do not have
to identify. Sometimes called free kill zones. Everyone is deemed hostile and a
legitimate target.

friendly fire: accidental attacks on U.S. or allied soldiers by other U.S. or
allied soldiers

G-3: division level tactical advisor; a staff officer.

gook: derogatory term for an Asian; derived from Korean slang for
"person"

Green Berets: U.S. Special Forces

grids: map broken into numbered thousand-meter squares

grunt: infantryman.

GSW: gunshot wound

gung ho: enthusiastic (usually about military matters and killing people)

gunship: armed helicopter

GVN: Government of South Vietnam

hamlet: a small rural village

hammer and anvil: an infantry tactic of surrounding an enemy base area, then
sending in other units to drive the enemy out of hiding.

H&I: harassment and interdiction. Artillery bombardments used to deny the
enemy terrain which they might find beneficial to their campaign; general rather than
specific, confirmed military targets; random artillery fire.

heat tabs: flammable tablet used to heat C-rations. Took a long time to heat the
food and gave off harsh fumes.

HHC: headquarters and headquarters company higher-higher: the honchos; the
command

hootch: a hut or simple dwelling, either military or civilian

hot: area under fire

hot LZ: a landing zone under enemy fire

HQ: headquarters

Huey: nickname for the UH-1 series helicopters

hump: grunt term to march or walk carrying a rucksack in the field.

I Corps: the northernmost military region in South Vietnam

II Corps: the Central Highlands military region in South Vietnam

III Corps: the densely populated, fertile military region between Saigon and the
Highlands

IV Corps: the marshy Mekong Delta southernmost military region

IG: Inspector General

immersion foot: condition resulting from feet being submerged in water for a
prolonged period of time, causing cracking and bleeding.

in-country: Vietnam

increments: removable charges attached to mortar fins. If they become wet, the
mortar round misfires and falls short. Extremely flammable.

insert: to be deployed into a tactical area by helicopter

Iron Triangle: Viet Cong dominated area between the Thi- Tinh and Saigon rivers,
next to Cu Chi district

M-5 Medical Aid Bag: The larger of the two medical aid bags
carried. It was strapped to a medal pack frame.

M-14: A 7.62mm Cal. Rifle that fired semi and full automatic. Used in early
portion of Vietnam conflict

M-16: the standard U.S. military rifle used in Vietnam from 1966 on. Successor
to the M-14.

M-60: the standard lightweight machine gun used by U.S. forces in Vietnam

M-79: a U.S. military hand-held grenade launcher

MARS: Military Affiliate Radio Station. Used by soldiers to call home via Signal
Corps and ham radio equipment.

MASH: Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

marker round: the first round fired by mortars or artillery. Used to adjust the
following rounds onto the target.

Med Cap: Medical Civil Action Program in which U.S. medical personnel would go
into the villages to give medical aid to the local populace

medevac: medical evacuation from the field by helicopter

MFW: multiple frag wounds

MIA: missing in action

Minigun: rapid fire machine gun with multi-barrels that is electronically
controlled, capable of firing up to 6,000 rounds a minute primarily used
on choppers and other aircraft.

Mr. Charles: the Viet Cong or the NVA

Montagnard: a French term for several tribes of mountain people inhabiting
the hills and mountains of central and northern Vietnam. Vietnam was a former
French Colony and some of their phrases carried forth from their French Colonial days.

mortar: consisting of 3 parts a steel tube, base plate, and tri-pod. A round is
dropped in the tube, striking a firing pin, causing the projectile to leave
the tube at a high angle.

MOS: military occupational specialty

MP: military police

MPC: military payment currency. The scrip U.S. soldiers were paid in

mule: a small, motorized platform often used for transporting supplies and
personnel.

Nam: Vietnam

napalm: a jellied petroleum substance which burns fiercely, used against enemy
personnel.

NCO: noncommissioned officer.

NLF: National Liberation Front

number one: the best

number ten: the worst

NVA: North Vietnamese Army

OCS: officer candidate school

OD: olive drab,

OR: operating room

P-38: a tiny collapsible can opener

perimeter: outer limits of a military position.

PF: Popular Forces. South Vietnamese National Guard- type local military units

poncho liner: nylon insert to the military rain poncho, used as a blanket

pop smoke: to ignite a smoke grenade to signal an aircraft

POW: prisoner of war

PRC-25: Portable Radio Communications, Model 25. A back-packed FM
receiver-transmitter used for short-distance communications. The range of the radio was
5-10 kilometers, depending on the weather, unless attached to a special, nonportable
antenna which could extend the range to 20-30 kilometers

PSP: perforated steel plate

PsyOps: psychological operations

Puff the Magic Dragon: AC-47 is a propeller-driven aircraft with 3 Miniguns -
capable of firing
6,000 rounds per minute per gun for a total of 18,000 rounds per minute - The mini guns were on one side of the plane. The plane would bank
to one side to fire.

punji stakes: sharpened bamboo sticks used in a primitive but effective pit
trap. Often smeared with excrement to cause infection.

Purple Heart: U.S. military decoration awarded to any member of the Armed Forces
wounded by enemy action. Any soldier who was awarded three Purple Hearts was allowed to
leave Vietnam.

QUAD-50s: a four-barreled assembly of .50 caliber machine guns

RA: Regular Army, prefix to serial number for enlisted men

rack: bed or cot

R&R: rest and recreation. Two types: A three day in country and a seven-day
out of county vacation. Grunts in the 8th Cav. Would receive a special R&R
for the entire company. Usually after a major firefight.

Spooky: AC-47 is a propeller-driven aircraft with 3 Miniguns -capable of firing
6,000 rounds per minute per gun for a total of 18,000 rounds per minute - The mini guns were on one side of the plane. The plane would bank
to one side to fire.

stand-down: an infantry unit's return from the boonies to the base camp for
refitting and training.

starlight scope: A night scope to intensify images at night by using reflected
light form the moon, stars or any other source of light.

steel pot: the standard U.S. Army steel helmet.

strobe: hand held strobe light for marking landing zones at night

syrettes: a hypodermic needle connected to a collapsible tube. Contained morphine
in most cases. After inserting the needle in the body one would squeeze the morphine tube
like tooth past.

T&T: through and through wound.

tangle foot: single-strand barbed wire strung in a meshwork pattern at about
ankle height. A barrier designed to make it difficult to cross the obstructed area by
foot. Usually placed around ...................permanent defensive positions.

Tet: Buddhist lunar New Year. Buddha's birthday.

Tiger Fatigues: camouflage fatigue uniforms

Top: a top sergeant

trach: a tracheotomy. Making an opening into the windpipe to facilitate
breathing.

tracer: a round of ammunition chemically treated to glow so that its flight can
be followed.

triage: the procedure for deciding the order in which to treat casualties

trip flare: a ground flare triggered by a trip wire. Use to notify the approach
of the enemy.

UH-1H: a Huey helicopter

US: prefix to serial number of Army draftees

USO: United Service Organization. Provided entertainment to the troops.

V: a type of ambush set-up, shaped like the letter.

VC: Viet Cong

Victor Charlie: the Viet Cong; the enemy.

Viet Cong: South Vietnamese Communist.

Vietnamese Popular Forces: South Vietnamese local military forces.

Vietnamization: U.S. policy initiated by President Richard Nixon late in the war
to turn over the fighting to the South Vietnamese Army during the phased withdrawal of
American troops.

wake-up: the last day of a soldier's Vietnam tour. Example for 6 days: 5
days and a wake-up.

walking wounded: wounded who are still able to walk without assistance.

wasted: killed

white mice: South Vietnamese police.

white phosphorus: an explosive round from artillery, mortars, or rockets,
grenades. Also a type of aerial bomb. When the rounds exploded a huge puff of white smoke
would appear from the burning phosphorus. The wound was used as marking rounds and
incendiary rounds. When phosphorus hit the skin it would continue to burn. Water would not
put it out. It had to be smothered (mud was used to seal off the wound ) or it would
continue to burn until it exited the body.